


The Quiet

by theangelcastiella



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Family/Friendship - Freeform, Fluff, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-13 00:06:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7130159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theangelcastiella/pseuds/theangelcastiella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reader has been living with the Winchesters for two years, and still has nightmares of the incident that started it all. She may be able to move on, though, with the help of Cas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Quiet

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me on www.theangelcastiella.tumblr.com !

_ “Y/N, run! Run!” _

Two years. 

Two years since you’d joined the Winchesters. 

Two years since the destruction of your entire world.

_ You awoke to a rancid stench filling the air. At first all you could register was the thick smoke- and then it hit you. Blood. Burning flesh. And a terrible, burning heat that already had sweat beading on your face.  _

Two years since the day that werewolves decided to up and attack your tiny town.

_ Glancing out the window, you could  _ _ immediately _ _ see the cause. Fire, everywhere. The small town was ablaze with it; why here, why now, in the middle of the hot, dry summer? _

“No,” you moaned, shoving your fists into your eyes; but it was no use. The dream kept going.

_ “Mom! Dad!” _

_ You sprinted down the hall, the sleepy fog clearing away in an instant. From the top of the staircase, you could feel the heat from the flames. Bit by bit, they were licking up your living room, and you felt an anxious pang in your stomach. _

_ Your parents slept downstairs. _

_ Coughing, you sprinted back to your room and opened the window, gasping at the fresh air. You knew now that you didn’t have a choice; you had to crawl out. Luckily for you, there was a tree right by your window that had somehow avoided the blaze. You managed to land on the ground with only the slightest loss of balance. _

_ All around you was chaos. There may have been few people in your town, but you swore the screams of thousands were assaulting your ears. Howls sounded from all directions, but not those of the dogs or coyotes you were used to. No, these were wolves. And they were ripping your neighbors to shreds.  _

You were sweating now, feeling the heat of that night rush back to your senses. 

_ You turned around, scanning the yard in front of you, and that was when you saw it. There, on the ground, were your parents. And looming over them were two creatures, snarling and yipping. Blood was dripping from their faces, and their claws sunk into the chest of your mother and father as if they were nothing more than butter.  _

_ “No! No!” _

_ You were startled by a hand gripping your arm. With a suppressed shriek, you turned to see the kind eyes of your best friend. _

_ “Y/N, we have to go! We have to run!” _

_ “Michael, I have to help them!” _

_ “They’re dead,  _ _ Y _ _ /N. The only way you can help them now is to get away from this hell. Come on, we can get back to my mom’s and get the car. We have to get out. It’s too late for them.” _

_ He was holding both your arms now, with a death grip.  _

_ “Michael, what’s happening?” _

_ He shook his head sadly, took your hand, and said, “Take this. Just in case.” _

_ It was a gun, unlike any you’d seen. Strange symbols were engraved on almost every inch of surface. _

_ “Now, come on,  _ **_please_ ** _!” _

_ Tears were freely streaming down your face now. Step by trembling step, the two of you ran, your friend shooting whatever he could. Not that it seemed to be doing any good; there were too many of them, and they would only fall when shot directly in the heart. Smoke weighed down on your lungs, and finally you stopped,  _ _ hands on _ _ your knees. _

“It’s not real, it is not real, it is not real.” You desperately writhed on your bed, but every time you managed to wake up, the nightmare kept sucking you back in.

_ “Hey, hey now, come on, we gotta keep going. We’ll get to my car and drive the fuck away. Come on… Hey, now, don’t black out on me.” _

_ The roar of the fires just kept getting louder, thundering in your ear. All around you, houses burning, and the stench of burning flesh was triggering your gag reflex. If you looked hard enough, you could see glowing eyes in the smoke, not yet fixed on you, but on another victim. For a second, you swore you could hear voices. Not of your townspeople, but someone much worse. _

_ As you knelt on the ground, trying desperately to get the air moving in your lungs, you heard that voice get closer, and closer, until you heard it say, “Thought you could get away, huh?” _

_ Standing across from Michael was a hunched over man, veins protruding all along his neck and arms. There seemed to be something quite wrong with him. You just couldn’t put your finger on what it was. _

_ The man turned to you next, staring at you with blazing yellow eyes. That was when you realized that those wolves… They were people, too.  _

_ “That’s the thing about you hunters. You always seem to think that everything will always go your way. Let this show you how the real world works. And don’t think the girl will be spared.” _

Flashes. Footsteps.

“Y/N, did you say something?”

_ The wolfman snarled and suddenly leapt at Michael, throwing him to the ground. _

“Michael! Michael!”

A clattering, down the hall. 

 

_ You remember praying to God, but not just to Him. To anyone listening; asking for help, for something to get  _ _ you out _ _ of this hell, to get you out of whatever was going on.  _

_ The world tilted, and when you opened your eyes again, the monster had your friend pinned against the ground.  _

_ “No!” _

_ It was at that moment that everything went out of control. _

You thought you heard your door opening, but you weren’t sure anymore.

_ There was an odd sound, like the flapping of wings, and yet another man showed up. Except this one wore a trenchcoat, had glowing blue eyes…and seemingly appeared out of thin air.  _

_ The wolf let out another snarl and ripped into Michael’s throat, and you screamed louder than you had thought humanly possible. _

_ The trenchcoated man’s eyes began to glow a bright blue, and a blinding light shone from him. You quickly covered your eyes, and when you opened them again, all was quiet.  _

_ The wolf lay flat on his back, scorched holes in place of his eyes. In fact, as you looked around, every other creature you had seen was on the ground, lifeless. Quiet. It was just you and the trenchcoated man. _

_ “Y/N. You have to wake up now. I’m sorry,” he said.  _

_ “What?” _

“Y/N! Come on, snap  out of it , kiddo!”

Finally, your eyes opened to see your bedroom, with Dean, Sam and Castiel surrounding you. It was a sight very familiar to wake up to around this time of year. 

“Did I wake you guys?” you asked, voice quivering. Dean smiled sadly, shaking his head. 

“Nah, not me. I was up already. And ol’ Cas here, he don’t even sleep. Don’t worry about it, okay? Do you need anything? Water? Food? Something?”

You could see in the Winchesters’ eyes that they were exhausted, and one glance at your alarm clock told you that it was just past 2:00 am. Yet here they were, standing at your bedside, sympathetic looks on their faces. You couldn’t help but feel a little extra grateful for Cas’ presence. He didn’t even live at the bunker and still he managed to be at your side. Just one of the many things you loved about him.

“I’m fine, guys, really. Just a bad dream.” 

The boys exchanged worried glances, Sam then proceeding to sit beside you on the bed.

“Y/N, we all know that it was more than just a bad dream. You were yelling Michael’s name.” 

There it was, that familiar twisting pain in your stomach, just from the mention of his name. You tried to talk, to say something, but the words just kept catching themselves in the knot building in your throat, so you just stayed silent, gripping the sheets in your sweaty hands.

“Sam. Dean. I believe that  Y /N is having some trouble with words right now. Perhaps it would be best if you two went back to sleep. I’m certain that she will still be  here to talk in the morning.” 

You looked up at the angel, nodding to him in a silent  _ thank you.  _ The boys however looked at each other and then at Cas. 

“Buddy, you sure that’s a good idea? We can stay here with Y/N-”

“No,” you said, taking a deep breath. “Cas is right. I’m not stupid, I know that you two are exhausted. Cas doesn’t sleep, so if you’re worried, then he can always stay  here with me until I fall back asleep. Right, Cas?”

“Of course,” he responded with a quick nod.

“Well, I guess that you have a point. We’ll go back to sleep, but just call if you need anything alright? I’m just down the hall, and-”

Again, Sam was cut off, this time by Cas. “It’s okay Sam. I think I’ve got this.”

With one last, lingering look, Sam left the room, Dean trailing behind him after pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. Now it was just you and Cas, him standing beside your bed, you curled up in a half sat position, leaning on your pillows. Cas cleared his throat.

“I could make you go back to sleep, but I have a feeling that you aren’t wanting that right now. To tell the truth, I’m not sure of the best way to help you… are you comfortable?”

You smiled, scooting over to make some room. “You can sit down if you’d like, Cas.”

He obliged, sliding his shoes off before taking a seat next to you on the bed. 

“I know you usually tell me not to. But I am beginning to think that talking about these dreams may help us overcome them. May I talk about them with you?”

You nodded, biting the inside of your cheek out of nervousness.

“How often do you have these nightmares,  Y /N?”

Despite your fear of talking about it, you felt Cas’ calming aura helping you to  open up . You two had been pretty close since the incident, so you didn’t have as much of an  issue with talking like this to him.

“I dunno, once a week at the least I’d say. Maybe twice a week.”

“That’s not what Sam and Dean said. They’ve told me that you used to wake them up quite often, but then suddenly slept soundly. Why are they saying that?”

The knot suddenly returned to your throat, your heart beginning to race again. You stared at your twiddling thumbs until Cas’ calloused hand covered them. He gripped your hand reassuringly and let it stay there, intertwined with yours. Your heart fluttered in your chest, and you felt the will to keep talking.

“Well… I hated seeing them so fatigued because of me. So I started taking sleeping medicine on some nights, and setting an hourly alarm on others. I slip up sometimes though, or give it a break if I’m too tired, and that’s usually when they get woken up.” 

When you looked up again, Cas’ expression had you  immediately feeling guilty. He reached out and took your other hand, trembling now, and said, “ Y /N. They would never forgive themselves if they knew about this. It isn’t good for you to hide away all of that fear.”

“I know,” you muttered. “I know it’s bad and I shouldn’t do it, but I can’t help being scared that if I keep bothering them with my dumb problems all the time they’ll eventually get sick of it. Get sick of me.”

The angel sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I admit, I’ve felt the same way at times. There are many mistakes that I wish I could take back- things I wish I hadn’t done.” He paused then, shaking off his  train of thought . “You don’t want to hear about that though, I’m sure.” 

There was something about Castiel that was oddly calming to you. His way of talking had you drifting to a peaceful  state of mind (besides the teenager- y emotions that came with crushing), and you didn’t want that to end.

Suddenly he shifted, turning to look to you. “Let’s get back to you,  Y /N. What do you want your future to be like?”

You frowned, slightly confused by the sudden change in topic. “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it. Most of the time, I’m just happy to be alive.”

“No dreams of getting out of the life? Marrying? Perhaps having children?”

Your stomach gave a lurch, and you scooted closer to Cas, almost touching him. He shifted so that you could comfortably lean on his chest (which was very firm), and the both of you sank into more of a horizontal position. 

“I guess I’ve dreamed of it. Dreamed of things being normal… of finding a partner and maybe settling down.” As you were saying this, an image crept into your mind: Cas, laughing softly and looking down into the face of an infant. Rocking her back and forth in his steady arms. 

Warmth flooded your face and you forced the image away. “I couldn’t ever have that life, though.”

Cas’ arm wrapped around you, making a different sort of warmth pool in your stomach.

“Why do you say that? I think that while it may be difficult it is certainly possible to have a more traditional domestic lifestyle.” 

You shifted to look at him, pursing your lips. “But how? So many hunters have tried and they always get sucked back into it. Sam and Dean both included.”

“Well, for instance. You could be with somebody who knows what the “hunting life” as you call it is like. Somebody you wouldn’t have to hide all of your fears and worries from. Someone…”

“Someone like you,” you murmured. 

Beneath you, Cas stiffened. “Well, I… I suppose… I could be a suitable partner. If you saw me in that way.”

You rolled onto your side to face the flustered angel, smiling softly. “What do you mean by “that way”, Cas?” 

“The way that… The way that I feel about you. Dean has been telling me for ages to confess my feelings to you but I just wasn’t sure if you were ready or if they would even be reciprocated. I refused to read your mind, as I do the minds of anybody that I care about, and-”

“Hey. Cas. Just listen, okay? It’s okay, you have my permission. Just listen to me, if you understand what I’m saying.”

Heart pounding, you brought his hand up to your forehead and shut your eyes.

Part of you was screaming at yourself for daring to think these things, for daring to show him something that was such a big part of you.The other part was saying screw it and opening up to him, letting him in to see everything. You began playing out every part of you and Cas’ friendship. Everything that had made you feel warm and fuzzy. Like that time when you told him that you’d never been to the ocean before, and with a snap of his fingers you were there before the blue waves. Or the time that you were horribly ill while Sam and Dean were on a hunt. Cas had been extremely low on grace and you had told him specifically not to heal you. He decided to do the next best thing by getting you the best soup he could find and watching Disney movies with you in the short times that you weren’t asleep.

Then the memories turned into thoughts. Your dreams you’d had featuring you and Cas, dancing in the moonlight. Kissing him. You and Cas, taking silly couples’ classes together, laughing as you learned dances that you may never use again. 

All of those precious memories began to flow together, and then you were snapped back to reality by Cas lightly gripping your shoulder. His face was glowing with surprise, the good kind, and his hand moved to brush your hair behind your ear.

“Y/N, I… I had no idea, I-”

“Cas. It’s okay. But what are you going to do now that you  _ do  _ have an idea?”

He chuckled for a moment, stroking your face with the rough pad of his thumb.

“I suppose there’s only one thing I can do, hm?” He said, bringing his face closer to yours. Your eyes flickered down to his lips. 

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

Just like that, his lips were on yours, soft and gentle. They remained there for only a moment before pulling away with a smile.

“Now, I believe that you are at peace. Do you want me to put you to sleep?”

“No,” you said, snuggling up closer to him. “I think I can do it on my own.”

And with that Cas reached over and turned off the light, and you drifted to sleep wrapped in the angel’s arms.

  
  
  



End file.
